And In the Dark I Have No Name
by lonerism
Summary: When everyone you care about is gone, and the only one you can lean onto is the person you only know by name, how are you expected to survive? (AU, Carolijah)


_**and in the dark I have no name**_

* * *

_Mystic Falls, present day._

She runs.

She runs as fast she could, but even with her vampire speed, she still feels like her legs are still not carrying her fast enough. She can't even take in her surroundings because she just doesn't have the time to. There are trees and twigs and roots and bushes everywhere, and even with her advanced vision she still has to fumble all the way because it's all in a blur that it's giving her a whiplash. She's panting for breath and it's not because she's tired, but because the adrenaline rush and the fear and the horror are getting too much for her.

There's something heavy building up in her chest, and she tries her best to shrug it off because she really can't be weak right now. She _has_ to be _strong_. Giving up seems very appealing right now. There's a voice in the back of her head that keeps saying she's going to die too eventually, so what's the point of running? It only postpones her death, not canceling it. But still, she wants to believe that she can survive this−that _they_ can survive this.

A pained scream echoes through the woods, and she quickly recognizes it as Tyler's. Her eyes are burning and the fresh tears are blurring up her vision. She can't hold back the choke that erupts from her chest because the man she truly loves is probably dead. Now she truly can't resist the urge to go back and run to him. All she can think about is _'Tyler, Tyler, Tyler'_. She trips on a root in the process, and expects the fall that's supposed to come but it never does.

A pair of strong arms catches her before she hits the ground, pulling her closer to a body. Both her eyes widen in horror, because for all she knows this person could be someone from the mass that are hunting them down. She's about to kick and trash and fight, but her nostrils pick up the smell of fine linen and she just collapses into his embrace.

"Tyler..." She manages to whisper. "We have to go back, Elijah. Tyler "

"Would have wanted you to run for your life," he cuts her off as he pulls her back to her feet, not letting go of his hold on her as if he's afraid that she will flee and do something as reckless as going back to try to save her boyfriend.

"No!" She screeched. "What if he needs us? We have to help him!"

He ignores her plea, choosing to swing her onto his shoulder and carries her away instead. She screams and hits his back and even bites his shoulder in an attempt to get him to let her go, but he doesn't budge. He just keeps running, tightening his hold on her as they storm through the thick woods.

* * *

Mystic Falls, the day before.

_Caroline had a satchel bag full of blood bags inside swung across her shoulder. Since Tyler still insisted on watching Klaus suffer in the Gilberts' house (apparently the fact that his girlfriend was dying the other day didn't make him wary), she had been the one dropping off food stock for him. But the memory of Klaus snatching her and tearing up her veins was still fresh on her mind, so now she just texted Tyler once she arrived in the house, left the bag on the doorstep, and knocked at the door twice before walking back to her car and took off. _

_She was doing the routine she had been doing for about two days−putting the bag on the doorstep−__when she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, she was faced with none other than Elijah Mikaelson._

_"Elijah. You're back," she exclaimed, surprised at his impromptu visit. He had been M.I.A. for months, and she didn't think his own siblings even knew where he had gone. _

_"Miss Forbes," he greeted her politely. But then his expression turned stern. "What have you done?" _

_"What?"_

_She then remembered that Klaus was inside, trapped in the living room that was bound by magic, and she panicked a little because _what if Klaus and Elijah had some kind of a psychic link that allows them to communicate with each other_? Their mother was the _original witch_ after all. What if Klaus had told him they had murdered Kol and he was trapped, and that was why Elijah was back: to help his brother and punish the ones that had hurt his family? But Elijah was the most polite out of the five original siblings−_would he really do something that ruthless?_ He was an original, sure, and only God knows what kind of evil things they had done in the centuries of their eternal lives, but−_

_"Yesterday, I got a visit from one of the vicious werewolves I had killed back in 1854. He tried to kill me. The last time I saw him he was very much dead, but yesterday he was alive and I wonder if you and your friends have something to do with this?" He continued, cutting off her train of thoughts._

_"So they've succeeded!" She whispered to herself. It made sense then why her friends hadn't contacted her since yesterday; they were busy completing their mission._

_"Who had succeeded?" Caroline had forgotten for a moment that Elijah was there. He now had her pinned against the door, his dark eyes staring into her very soul, seeking for answers. "What have you kids been up to? What did you do?"_

_"Silas..." She trailed. Caroline didn't miss the way Elijah's expression changes at the mention of the name. There was a glint of sheer horror in his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it was there−__as if he didn't want anyone to see him vulnerable. "We're bringing him back...to get the cure for vampirism."_

_He loosened his hold on her, and took a step back as he stared at her in unbelief. "Do you understand what you just did?" He asked. "You have just signed your own death certificate." _

_._

_/_

_._

_Elijah then proceeded to explain to Caroline and Tyler what rising Silas could lead to. Tyler had refused to listen at first, saying why should he believe Elijah−__he's a _Mikaelson_ too. Caroline replied with _"Because he's Elijah_,_"_ as if that made any sense. But they both were finally assured to put their trust on Elijah when Katherine Pierce came a moment later, bitching about how the witch she had drained dry in the early 1900s had came back to avenge her, and accusing the Scooby Gang to be the ones that caused whatever it is that was happening (which, sadly, was true). _

_Bringing back Silas means they were bringing not only his dead worshippers back to life, but also _all_ of the deceased. That would mean the witches and other creatures that had always wanted to banish vampires have been resurrected too. Esther, and all of the original 'The Five' included. _

_"They will strike," Elijah said, referring to Silas' worshippers. "They have been waiting for this for so long. We need a plan."_

_He quickly pulled out his phone, making two phone calls to what sounded like his trusted witches, then turned his attention back to the three vampires present and offered them a preposition._

_"My witches are coming here. They will put a spell on this property so no one can get in here but us. It will keep us safe until we figure out a more effective way to save our lives and how to get my brother out of his prison," he said. At the look of surprise the two teenagers gave him, he then added, "Yes, I am aware that you are keeping my brother trapped inside there. Which brings me to my preposition: _If_ we ever get out of this situation safely, _and_ you have the cure in your hands, I need your words that no harm will come to my family. You are _not_ to use the cure against us. Do I have your words?"_

_"Yes," Caroline answered quickly. Tyler sent a glare her way but she just shrugged it off._

_"Good."_

_._

_/_

_._

_Elijah's plan fell apart. The angry and vengeful witches broke the spell Elijah's witches had put on. They still hadn't figured out a way to free Klaus, and Caroline still had no luck contacting Bonnie. She started crying when she realized that her friends might have been dead. I__f she had gotten into this mess by only staying in Mystic Falls, imagine them−the ones that encountered Silas firsthand. _

_They knew they couldn't stay in the house, and Katherine had been the first one to flee, which really wasn't something new. Elijah was torn; he didn't think he could leave Klaus behind. But for the first time since Caroline had known Niklaus Mikaelson−__the original hybrid, the evil extraordinaire−__he chose to be selfless. He barked at his brother to run and leave him behind, and right before the violent mass outside could barge into the front door, Caroline, Tyler, and Elijah all ran out of the property through the back door. It was such a chaos. Caroline was running with all she might and only when she had reached the woods she realized that both Tyler and Elijah was no longer beside her. She stopped for a second, calling out Tyler's name in desperation. A reply from him came almost instantly; he yelled at Caroline to keep going, assuring her that he was right behind her. As if sensing her hesitation, he told her again that she has to run and he promised that he would catch up to her. "Just run!" He had ordered._

_And so Caroline kept running. But he never did catch up to her._

* * *

Mystic Falls, present day.

They're in Alaska now. Elijah has a cabin there. Caroline can't even keep up with how long they have been running. She had given up fighting Elijah's hold hours ago, and started crying even harder instead. She had cried until her eyes felt sore and Elijah's expensive suit got soaked with her tears. Eventually she grew tired of crying and the numbness has now kicked in.

She's now curled in bed, while her eyes are staring blankly into space. Elijah is in the kitchen heating up some blood for them. He surprisingly is keeping some stock here. She can feel the burn in the throat when the strong scent of blood hits her sense of smell. But she can't find the urge to feed. _How can she_? Her friends are dead. Tyler is dead. God only knows how her mom is doing right now. She _can't_ feed. She just wants to starve herself to death and die along with everyone she loves.

Elijah comes into the room seconds later, a mug filled with blood in his hand. He places it on the nightstand, thinking she would just retrieve it and gulp down the thick liquid right away, but she doesn't move an inch. He spots the look in her face then, and understands. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he helps Caroline into a sitting position (she doesn't even protests when he touches her, because really, _she has lost all the energy to live_), and grabs the mug with one of his hands. He takes her hand with his free hand, and places the mug in her hold.

She finally looks up to him. Those big blue irises that used to be so full of life have now lost all of their light. If any of her friends had seen her like this, it would terrify them.

"Everyone is dead," she said in a flat tone. "I'll be dead too."

He shakes his head, and simply told her, "_No you won't_."


End file.
